September/October 2024

Director’s Comments

As Fall approaches, so does Medicare Open Enrollment, when everyone should review their options for Medicare plans. The constant TV and mail advertising only make the situation more confusing and annoying. We are pleased to be able to provide confidential, unbiased, and up-to-date consultation for free to anyone in 45387. Please encourage your friends to check their options, don’t just expect that everything will remain the same as it has been in 2023 (see Stephanie Lawson’s article below).

We’ve reached a mile-stone ourselves at YSSC. 2024 is our 65th year; we’ve been around longer than Medicare itself! Services and options for seniors have greatly changed since our founders initiated the Senior Citizens Committee in 1959. Our very first service was transportation for medical appointments, and we grew to provide activities, meal delivery (from the Antioch College cafeteria), and a place to gather.

Our first location was the former Opera House on Dayton Street, which was torn down shortly after we were given occupancy. For many years we operated out of what is now the Emporium, raising funds by milling flour and managing a thrift shop (another boost from the college, as many of the items we sold were left behind by students each year). In 1978 we moved next door, to the building we are in currently at 227 Xenia Avenue. This building, sold to us for $1, is the most significant financial boost we have ever had.

We have grown to occupy all available space here in town – adding the Great Room in 1994, frequently modifying space for more offices, and adding the patio in 2022. For twenty years we’ve been seeking our next opportunity to grow, and at last we have a viable option. There is a great deal of work going into the planning and considerations for the next building, but in the meantime, we keep growing in other ways.

Our membership, programs, and need for services continue to increase from year to year. We now have 572 members, and every month we have around 45 unique activities and are providing an average of 92 rides. We are preparing to add our fourth vehicle to our fleet, which will be an eight-passenger van. The Senior Services Levy, managed by the Greene County Council on Aging, provides the starting funds for this purchase, but we are asking that the community help us purchase the best possible vehicle and help expand our staffing so that we can reliably provide a shuttle service for people to attend our programs, outings and activities.

In honor of our 65th anniversary, we are launching our “Community Connections Campaign” and hope to raise $65,000. These vital funds not only support the day-to-day work of the Center, but if we reach the goal will allow us to buy a new, rather than used, van and have a driver available each day. 

 – Caroline Mullin, Executive Director

937-767-5751 x 101, cmullin@ysseniors.org

Use the buttons below to visit our website for the most up-to-date information about our classes and groups.

Community Colloquy Series

3rd Thursday, 7 pm

The Senior Center hosts monthly guests to share their expertise and knowledge with the community. 

Sept. 19: Internationally renowned sculptor and Yellow Springs native Jon Barlow Hudson will discuss his recent sculptures, with slides, video, and photo books of some of his installations. Jon will also bring a sample of his sculpture.

Oct. 17: “Rediscovered Radio: Women’s Voices, Women’s Music in the WYSO Archives.” WYSO staff members Juliet Fromholt and Jocelyn Robinson will talk about their podcast, tracing their creative process and playing excerpts from interviews and historical tapes used in its production.

Programs meet in the Great Room and on Zoom. All are welcome. To get the Zoom link, register on MyActiveCenter.com, call 937-767-5751, or email info@ysseniors.org.

Local Writers & Poets Series

2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7 pm

Local writers will offer book and poetry readings in this new series during September and October in the Great Room.

Sept. 12: Judy Johnson will share a Powerpoint presentation comparing traditional publishing and self-publishing, having used both methods. She will also use her own work to highlight an organic approach to writing. 

Sept. 26: MJ Werthman White’s book talk is “It's Never Too Late to Bloom.” She will read a short excerpt from her book An Invitation to the Party and speak about the experience of writing a debut novel in her seventies. 

Oct. 10: “A Poet Who Also Writes Prose.” Through his poetry and flash fiction, Ed Davis will demonstrate the complex, magical dance between two genres that can be closer than most might think. When is an idea, insight or epiphany right for one, when for the other? 

Oct. 24: Scott Geisel will read from and explain thematic elements of recent work set in the village of Yellow Springs.

Day Trips

Trader Joe’s, Thurs. Sept. 12, 10 am–noon(ish)

Grocery shopping is fun at Trader Joe’s! Meet at the John Bryan Center parking lot at 9:30 am if you wish to carpool. Contact Maggie to register.

Heart of Ohio Antique Center, Wed. Oct. 23, 10–2 

Let’s explore Ohio’s biggest antique center! There is a lunch spot at the center. Meet at the John Bryan Center parking lot at 9:30 am if you wish to carpool. Contact Maggie to register. Please note this trip will require quite a bit of walking.

Brunch Bunch

1st Tuesday, 11 am

Let’s brunch together! Explore local and nearby restaurants and build community through sharing food. If you wish to carpool, meet at John Bryan Center parking lot by 10:30 for an 11 am arrival.

Sept. 3: The Lumberton General Store, 8295 N. US 68 in Wilmington. 

Oct. 1: Clifton Mill restaurant in Clifton

Third Thursday Potlucks

3rd Thursday, 11:30 am–1 pm

Join us in the Great Room for monthly potlucks. Please bring a side dish to share. 

Sept. 19: A Kettering Health Community Outreach Nurse will talk about blood pressure and other wellness topics. 

Oct. 17: Mary Hairston from Caregiver Support Program will talk about free online support resources.

Theater Group

Tuesdays, 10 am, Fireplace Room 

Amy Bennett will lead a radio play, “Still Life” by Louise Penny. Auditions will be held Tue., Sept. 10 to cast 5 females, 7 males, and 1 narrator; diversity strongly desired. The goal is to pre-record and have it aired on WYSO in October. To register for auditions or for more information, contact Maggie. 

“Chat with the Doc” with Dr. Haley Sauder

1st Thursday, 11 am–noon, Fireplace Room

On Sept. 5 and Oct. 3, come with questions or topics of interest for Dr. Haley Sauder, who will share her expertise as an MD and offer general information on health and wellness topics. This is not a medical appointment, and no diagnoses or prescriptions will be involved. 

Create a Comprehensive Medication List 

1st Fridays, 10–11 am, Fireplace Room

On Sept. 6 and Oct. 4, experienced pharmacist Emma Robinow will help create this important document. Call Maggie to sign up. Bring your medications with you.

Drawing Classes

Draw What you See Part 2 with Don Sak

Mondays, 10–11 am, Great Room

Don will continue with the Draw What You See series during September and October, offering individualized instruction to all levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. Limit of 10. Contact Maggie to register.

Drawing for Beginners with Bob Huston

Fridays, 2–3:30 pm, Great Room 

Bob is back during September and October with another offering of beginner drawing instruction. Maximum of 8 people, contact Maggie to register. This class will not meet on October 11. 

John Bryan Pottery

Wed. Oct. 9 & 16, noon–2 pm

Join Megan Smallwood at the John Bryan Pottery studio for a fun 2-session class making mugs. The first session is forming the mug, the 2nd is glazing. $45/person to participate, paid to John Bryan Pottery Studio. Contact Maggie to register.

SoulCollage® with Karen Nelson

Friday Oct 11, 2–5 pm, Great Room

SoulCollage® is “a quiet, meditative collage-making process. The symbolic language of images and the process of collage-creating often opens a door to the inner life.” Karen Nelson has facilitated groups since 2010. She will lead a group of up to 12 people in this unique process. $10/person to be paid to Karen as the instructor, to cover the cost of materials. Registration priority given to Senior Center members. Contact Maggie to register. 

Halloween/Harvest Social 

Friday, Oct. 18, 4–5 pm, Great Room & Patio

Come in costume if you wish and let’s celebrate the season with food, tricks and treats, and fun! 

Hearing Help

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 10 am

Drop-in hearing aid checks and cleaning at the Senior Center. To schedule an at-home hearing test, contact Julie at Harmony Hearing, 937-708-8824. This is a free service being offered to members only. 

Register for classes and events at MyActiveCenter.com, 937-767-5751, or info@ysseniors.org

Paintings & Mixed Media Art by Patricia Acker

September 5–November 4, 2024

Reception Friday, October 4, 4–6 pm

Patricia Acker is a retired healthcare Social Worker with experience in long term care, adult daycare, home health care, and sixteen years of hospice care. 

Pat loves art but was not formally trained. She uses art to help her stay grounded, and to find her peaceful center as she gets lost in the process of creating. She has created many portraits, including animals.

She is a published author including 

a book of short stories, “The Dying Teach Us How to Live” which includes paintings portraits of her patients, and “God Winks: Stepping Stones in the Storms of Life” with short stories, original combinations artwork, and her poem to enhance the narrative. She has started writing her third book and has completed artwork that will be an integral part of this written collection of short stories. 

Pat’s artwork is comprised of many types of media including oil, acrylic, duct tape, charcoal, ink, pencil, pastel, metallic, craft items, and crayon and she creates in various sizes of both 2D and 3D offerings. More information about her art can be found on her website at illuminangels.com

The show can be viewed during the Center’s open hours of Monday–Friday from 9:30 am–4 pm, unless there is a class in the Fireplace Room. 

Calendar

Use the buttons below to visit the calendar our website or MyActiveCenter for the most up-to-date information about our classes and events.

To participate in virtual classes and events using Zoom, you must register through their account on MyActiveCenter. Zoom links are emailed to participants one hour prior.

New Neighbors

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…

(except)

• longer waits before jaywalking Xenia Avenue to pick up greens for dinner... 
• longer stops at Limestone & Dayton to join the flow of traffic... 
• longer lines to grab a cone, a treat from the deli, the bakery, a coffee.

As Kevin Costner pointed out in Field of Dreams, “If you build it, [they] will come.” The town is adding new housing stock. Soon we’ll need to figure out a way to welcome new neighbors by the dozen!

The essence of building community lies in the cultivation of social capital, the glue that binds individuals together. Gone are the days when a plate of warm cookies or a friendly invitation would initiate the integration of newcomers into the fabric of a neighborhood. In our rapidly evolving society, such personal acts of welcoming new neighbors has transitioned to community gift bags.

Welcoming new neighbors with open arms – literally – not only enriches the communal spirit but also lays the foundation for stronger social networks and support systems for everyone. In a world increasingly defined by digital connections, face-to-face interactions play a crucial role in building trust, empathy, acceptance and mutual understanding among community members. Whether a simple sidewalk greeting, a helping hand with moving boxes, or an invitation to a block party, these small gestures, when multiplied across a village, nurture a culture of inclusivity and belonging – enriching the lives of all.

The Village is on the cusp of significant change. It promises to be both disruptive and transformational. Sharing and celebrating our values with others, learning theirs as well, will strengthen communal bonds within – and beyond – individual neighbor-hoods. It’s a sure-fire recipe to sustain the vibrant and thriving community we call home.

Perhaps, as the lines grow longer, you’ll find yourself humming a few bars of Mr. Rogers’ theme song:

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

Won’t you be my neighbor?



 – Robert Libecap, Transportation Manager

937-767-5751 x104, rlibecap@ysseniors.org

Medicare Open Enrollment

It’s that time of year again! There may be changes to both Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plans for 2025. Open Enrollment, from October 15–December 7, is an opportunity to review plan options and make changes if necessary. I can help you review your current plan, run comparisons, and sign up for a new plan.

There is a form on our website which may be used to list prescriptions you are taking, fill it out prior to your appointment. If you have had insurance counselling here in the past, you will receive information and a form in the mail. The form is also available at the Senior Center.

Please contact me if you have questions about Open Enrollment or Initial Enrollment in Medicare. I am also available to assist with Medicaid, food, housing or utilities assistance.

 – Stephanie Lawson, RN, Support Services Manager

937-767-5751 x108, slawson@ysseniors.org

Medical Equipment and so more

There is so much to be said about living in a caring community like Yellow Springs, aside from its aesthetically good looks, peaceful aura, and the uncanny number of individuals and various community entities that go out of the way to make the lives of others better. We also have the Senior Center, whose mission is to enhance the lives of seniors in the community. The Center has medical equipment, and durable medical goods available to anyone in the community, provided by none other than the YS community. 

We have wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, bed pads, knee wheelies, incontinent supplies, medical tape, canes, shower chairs, shampoo caps, and so much more. In the same manner that the penny cup sits by the register at local stores allowing individuals to take a penny if they need one or leave one if there is an extra, think of the Senior Center the next time you need some equipment or goods, and please donate gently used equipment or medical good when they are no longer a use to you. Call the Center to ask for getting or to donate medical equipment or medical goods.

 –Teresa Bondurant, Homemaker & Outreach Manager

937-767-5751 x107, tbondurant@ysseniors.org

Greene County Council on Aging

Fall Prevention Event

Falls are the leading cause of emergency room visits, hospital stays, and deaths for seniors, but they do not have to be. This event on Thursday, September 12 from 1–3:30 pm at the Xenia Community Center, 1265 W. Second St., will cover ways to reduce the risk of falls and keep everyone strong, healthy and upright.

Activities include: Fall & Balance Assessments; Device Station (Safety Checks of Canes, Walkers, etc.); Technology Resources, including Emergency Response Systems, Medication Dispensing Systems, and Fall Apps for smart phones; Review of High Fall Risk Medications (bring your med list); Chair Volleyball and other movement activities; Blood Pressure and other screenings; Door Prizes, a Grab ’n Go Snack Bag, and a live remote with Real Roots Radio’s Roy Hatfield. 

It’s My Money! It’s My Stuff! It’s My Life!

This popular four-week program returns this fall. The sessions, presented by local professionals, are held in the Xenia Community Center on Tuesdays from 6–8:30 pm on October 1, 8, 15, and 22. The cost is $40 per household and includes a binder with all program materials, and box suppers. Space is limited and reservations are required. For information or a registration form, email yourfriends@gccoa.org.

Savvy Senior Expo

The Savvy Senior Expo on Thursday, October 24 is a fun, informative event exploring options for your best aging experience. The Expo at the Xenia Community Center runs from 10:30 am–3:30 pm with a variety of information booths, fitness and wellness demos, a Med Drop, refreshments, and opportunities for door prizes.

There will also be interactive sessions covering topics such as: Online Classes through GCCOA; What’s the Scoop on Pickleball; Smart Phone Security Settings; Brain Fitness, and much more. Presentation topics will include: Medicare Open Enrollment; Artificial Intelligence (AI); Verifying the Integrity of Dietary Supplements; Resources for Veterans; a Legal Chat with attorney Dave Cusack, and more.

There is no cost (although a donation for area food pantries is requested) and no registration is required.

Save the Date!

The Fall Shred Event is on Saturday, October 26 from 9 am–noon. Bring up to three boxes of private papers to be shredded by an onsite shredding truck at the Xenia Community Center. They accept medical or financial papers but not recycling or businesses. 

Other GCCOA Events

• Caregiver Support Group: Mondays, Sept. 2 and 16; Oct. 7 and 21 (first and third Mondays) from 6–7:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church in Yellow Springs.
• Grief & Loss Group: Mondays, Sept. 9 and Oct. 14 (the second Monday) from 10 am–noon at Peace Lutheran Church in Beavercreek.
• Memory Loss, Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease: Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 2:30– 4:30 pm at the Xenia Community Center (XCC) next door to the GCCOA Office.
• Medicare 101: Wednesday, Oct. 9, 3–4:30 pm at the Xenia Community Center (XCC) next door to the GCCOA Office.
• Legal Chat: Thursday, Sept. 19 and Oct. 17 (third Thursdays) at 2:30 pm at Peace Lutheran Church, 3530 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek. Enter at lower level door with awning. 

Contact GCCOA with questions or to register for these events at 937-376-5486 or email yourfriends@gccoa.org.

Fall Street Fair Vendor Space

The Yellow Springs Senior Center is accepting applications for indoor vendor spaces during the Street Fair, Saturday, October 12. The building will be open for the regular Street Fair times of 9 am–5 pm. The cost is $30 per table for YSSC members and $50 per table for non-members (annual YSSC Membership is $25 for an individual), with priority given to members. Applications are due September 13.

Each vendor gets one table space (tables provided, most are 6 ft x 2.5 ft). If more than one table is needed for your space, you must pay for each table. 

All items sold must be made by a person (or related to) who is working at the table and tables must be set up on Friday, October 11 between 4–6 pm. Vendors can leave as early as 2 pm but can’t pack out until 5 pm or on Monday.

Applications and more information are available at the Senior Center and also on the website, or call 937-767-5751 or email info@ysseniors.org with questions.

Welcome NEW Members!

Arthur & Janet Baer

Teri Eagleto

Victoria Haren

Wayman Favors

Mick Kittles

Jenny Kaffenberger

Carol Kneisley

Vicky Lipps

Sharon Luster

William Mischler 

Dean & Susan Sparks

Jacqueline Waggoner

Douglas & Barbara White

Jacinta Williams

Save the Date! The Senior Center is hosting a Square Dance on Saturday, October 26 from 7–9 pm at the John Bryan Center featuring the local band the Corndrinkers. A limited number of tickets are available at $20 each. Call 937-767-5751 or email info@ysseniors.org for tickets.

​The Yellow Springs Senior Center newsletter is published every other month, coming out at the end of the even numbered months. Copy deadline is the 1st of even numbered months. PDF versions of this and past issues can be found on the website.

All YSSC members also receive a hard copy mailed to their home. Memberships are $25 annually with $15 for each additional member and are due in January. Make checks payable to YSSC and mail to: YSSC, 227 Xenia Ave., Yellow Springs, OH, 45387 or use the button below to go to the website to pay with a credit card.

Email updates are sent weekly and the eNewsletter is sent every other month.